Books with author Henry Black Fuller

"The Cliff-Dwellers" is a novel set among the skyscrapers and frenetic business culture of 1890s Chicago. It follows the life of George Ogden, a promising young man from Boston, who moves "out west" to make his fortune. He finds a job in a bank headquartered at the Clifton Building, the newest skyscraper in the city, where he soon realizes that its eighteen floors are already full with men and women who came there to achieve the same goal, often by any means. The book represents a vivid and realistic portrayal of capitalism and social climbers in Chicago, with the strong emphasis on the city itself, which is presented as a force that breaks down anyone who isn't ready to play by its merciless rules.

"The Cliff-Dwellers" by Henry Blake Fuller. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

This volume was published in 1896. Contents: I. The Cure of Souls II. On the Whirlwind III. The Love of Love IV. Afterglow V. The Ship Comes In VI. At Saint Judas's VII. The Light that Always Is VIII. The Dead-and-Alive IX. Northern Lights X. The Story-Spinner XI. The Stranger Within the Gates XII. In Such a Night .............................................................................. Some Excerpts: The Cure of Souls: A pool in the heart of the primeval forest. Close beside it, a human habitation half lodge, half chapel. The pool is fed by a small stream which, rising high above, forms a waterfall over a ledge of rock ; and it is emptied by means of a wider stream which flows into a lake lying many feet below. Close to the edge of the pool a flock of lambs are grazing, and two or three swans, with their young, float upon its surface. The spot is closed in by a chain of mountain-peaks pink in the latest moment of the sunset glow, and upon the lightly ruffled bosom of the pool itself one sees the dancing double of the evening star. .............................................................................. On the Whirlwind: A workshop in the midst of a vast city and high above it. Wide windows command the roofs that shelter a mil- lion people and the harbor to which has come for genera- tions the tribute of a world. A high wind sweeps freely round ; it causes the defiant flaunting of a myriad flags but the same flag always, and it will bring at intervals great swirling clouds of dun and pungent smoke. Outside the harbor one sees an aggregation of enormous ironclads, whose flag is not the flag above the roofs all round about: the clouds of smoke, too, will come from that same quarter, for the smoke is to be the smoke of battle. The room is cumbered with the varied apparatus of science, and through every window the air is seen to be cut by the black lines of multitudes of wires that radiate to every point of the compass. The Master, a grave, self-absorbed man of thirty-five, stands looking out at one of the windows. No one can be sure of what he sees, or of his seeing anything at all ; it can only be certain that his hands, with corded veins and half-purpled nails, are strained in a motionless and vise- like grip behind his back. ............................................................................. The Love of Love: A hilltop. A white marble wall, before which is drawn up an inexorable array of Doric columns. In the middle of the wall is a single doorway, which leads to darkness save for the occasional reflection of red flames from with- in. On either side of the doorway there stands a burned- out brazen funeral torch, and under the colonnade, as well as on the steps which rise to it, are stationed several black- draped groups that look out toward the horizon-line of the sea. They are waiting. It is evening, and above the tops of the cypress-trees which lead, in a long avenue, up to the foot of the Monument the stars are shining shin- ing coldly, serenely, patiently, impersonally : they do not care they have seen too much. They give no heed to the Monument, nor to the convent-isle that whitens in their light a league from shore.

What is a man's best age? Peter Ibbetson, entering dreamland with complete freedom to choose, chose twenty-eight, and kept there. But twenty-eight, for our present purpose, has a drawback: a man of that age, if endowed with ordinary gifts and responsive to ordinary opportunities, is undeniably—a man; whereas what we require here is something just a little short of that. Wanted, in fact, a young male who shall seem fully adult to those who are younger still, and who may even appear the accomplished flower of virility to an idealizing maid or so, yet who shall elicit from the middle-aged the kindly indulgence due a boy. Perhaps you will say that even a man of twenty-eight may seem only a boy to a man of seventy. However, no septuagenarian is to figure in these pages. Our elders will be but in the middle forties and the earlier fifties; and we must find for them an age which may evoke their friendly interest, and yet be likely to call forth, besides that, their sympathy and their longing admiration, and later their tolerance, their patience, and even their forgiveness. I think, then, that Bertram Cope, when he began to intrigue the little group which dwelt among the quadruple avenues of elms that led to the campus in Churchton, was but about twenty-four,—certainly not a day more than twenty-five. If twenty-eight is the ideal age, the best is all the better for being just a little ahead.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This is a reproduction of the original artefact. Generally these books are created from careful scans of the original. This allows us to preserve the book accurately and present it in the way the author intended. Since the original versions are generally quite old, there may occasionally be certain imperfections within these reproductions. We're happy to make these classics available again for future generations to enjoy!